Paper RWBY
by wookywok
Summary: When Penny finds a mysterious book, Ruby and her friends are launched into a mysterious new world. Now they have to find each other, trounce some bad guys, and save the Star Spirits - and the princess. Shamelessly ripped off from... I mean, INSPIRED by Paper Mario Eds.
1. Prologue: Penny's Book

"So, Penny… where exactly did you find this book?"

"If I am correct, it is located at… 638, along with the books about insect culture."

Ruby quirked an eyebrow. "And why do you want us to see it?"

"You'll see." Penny turned back to the shelves and started browsing. "635, 636, 637… ah-ha!" She picked out a book. The cover was black, and a red bookmark stuck out of it. Most notably, however, it was completely unmarked. The robot hoisted her prize in the air. "Found it!"

Blake was unmoved. "And you brought all of Teams RWBY and JNPR here so you could… have storytime? I love books as much as the next guy, but this seems a little silly."

"No," Penny said. "The reason I wanted to show this to you…" She opened the tome to a random page in the middle and showed it to the group. "...is that there's nothing in it."

The assembled eight people stared at the blank pages. Weiss tilted her head. "Okay, that _is_ peculiar."

Yang put a hand to her chin. "But why is it like that?"

"Ooh! Ohh!" Nora waved her arms in the air. "Maybe it's a super secret codebook and it's written in invisible ink! And maybe we've stumbled upon a secret conspiracy! And maybe-"

"Or," Jaune interrupted, "maybe it's just one of those blank books. So we can write our own story."

"Yes, but you wouldn't find one of those in a library," Pyrrha said.

"So what is it?" said Ruby.

Ren cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "If I may… we've only seen two pages. Maybe we should start reading from the beginning?"

Everyone in the room blinked. "That might be a good idea, yes," Penny said. She opened the book up to the first page - sure enough, there was a story to be told after all. "Alright, gather round everyone," she said, before clearing her throat - she technically didn't need to, but it helped keep up the illusion of humanity - and sitting down on a nearby chair. "Today I'm going to tell the story of _Star Spirits and Good Wishes,_ " she narrated.

Everyone did, in fact, gather around the chair - sitting on the floor, legs crossed, they all looked like a group of teenage toddlers. Weiss rolled her eyes before she sat down. "Are we seriously doing the whole storytime thing?"

Penny didn't seem to notice the snark - or if she did, she didn't care. Either way, she continued. "Far, far, away, beyond the sky, way above the clouds, it's been said that there's a haven where the Stars live."

Yang snorted. "Wow, not even fifty words in and it's already the cheesiest thing I've ever heard."

Ruby shushed her, then gestured towards Penny. "Continue, please."

"Thank you, Friend Ruby. As I was saying… In the sanctuary of Star Haven, there rests a fabled treasure called the Star Rod, which has the power to grant all wishes."

"Using this wondrous Star Rod, the seven revered Star Spirits watched over our peaceful world."

Penny turned the book around towards her audience. There was a picture of seven creatures - basically stars with faces - circled around some sort of star-tipped wand.

"And then…"

Penny turned the page, and was interrupted by a maniacal cackling coming from nowhere. Everyone jumped and placed a hand on their weapons. "Who's there? Show yourselves!" said Pyrrha.

"Uh… friends?" Penny said nervously. "You may want to look here."

Everyone did so, and gasped. The book was now glowing a brilliant white, and the bookmark a bright gold.

Of course, more important than that was that was occurring was that Penny's arm was being sucked into the picture.

Yang was the first to act. "Hold on, Penny! I'm coming to help!" She grabbed hold of the robot's free arm and began to pull as hard as she could. "A little help here?"

"I'm here!" Nora grabbed Yang.

"So am I!" Jaune grabbed Nora.

Pyrrha grabbed Jaune.

Blake grabbed Pyrrha.

Ren grabbed Blake.

Weiss grabbed Ren.

And Ruby grabbed Weiss.

After what felt like an eternity of pulling, Penny gave a shout as she fell into the book in her entirety. This caused Yang to fall in, which caused Nora to fall in, which caused Jaune to fall in, until the entire chain had been sucked inside the book.

Ruby's world went white, and then it went black.

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If you're reading this story and you like it, please leave a review! If you're reading this and you don't like it, please leave a review anyways! I live for the reviews. LIVE FOR THEM.


	2. Chapter One: Ruby and the Shrooms

When Ruby came to, she was… well, she didn't know where she was, but it definitely wasn't Beacon. Her surroundings, fuzzy as they were to her, were a vibrant, lush green, instead of the beige and red they had been mere moments ago.

The Huntress-in-training rubbed her eyes, and the blobs of green revealed themselves as a clearing in the middle of the forest. Feeling her back, she realized the book hadn't taken Crescent Rose with it… or, if it had, it wasn't here. Seeing nothing else to do, she called out. "Weiss? Blake? Yang? Anybody?"

Getting no reply, Ruby decided to look around. It was basically what one would expect from a forest: Trees, more trees, weird guy in red, even more trees-

Ruby's eyes shifted back to the third thing. Sure enough, there was a person there, lying on the ground, probably unconscious. Red hat and shirt, blue overalls, white gloves, brown shoes… there was only one thing this guy could be!

` That thing being "some kind of blue-collar worker." She had no idea who the guy was,

Ruby would have dwelt on this more were she not interrupted by a sparkle coming from the corner of her eye. She turned to look at whatever had created the glittering and gasped.

Floating there were the seven star creatures that had shown up in the book, gathering around the man in red. But there was something… wrong with them. They were flickering, like they… like they weren't really there. Ruby hid behind a bush to avoid detection.

Two of the stars floated down towards the mysterious person. One of them, colored a warm yellow and wearing a pink bow on its head (Ruby was reminded that Penny was among the people sucked into the book), spoke up. "Oh, thank heavens! He's been gravely injured, but I think he'll recover."

The other star that had floated down was a greener shade of yellow. A small mustache, not unlike the one on the man himself, spread itself across his transparent lip. "But Bowser has the Star Rod! Now he's mightier than Mario!" he replied. "It's hopeless! All is lost!"

A third star, sporting a giant white mustache, floated down from the group to the two and rose one of his points. "Now, everybody, just calm down. As long as we keep it together, there's always hope. Now…" he turned towards the man. "Our fates are in Mario's hands. We must try to revive him. Gather round, everyone. Send Mario your power!"

Ruby watched as the seven star creatures gathered around the person, now identified as Mario. Each of them placed a point on him and closed their eyes. A faint aura surrounded Mario for a second, before each of the stars removed their points, clearly drained by the ordeal.

The star with the white mustache spoke up again. "Phew… that's it. That's all we can do right now. Mario… please get up… please..." Each of the stars vanished, one by one.

Ruby, ever so slowly, exited her hiding spot and creeped closer to the mystery man. She lightly tapped on the man's shoulder. No reply. With that, a confused and worried Ruby sat down next to him. First the book, then the forest, and now the star things… this day couldn't have gotten any weirder for Ruby.

"Umm… hello?"

Ruby turned to see a talking pink mushroom on legs.

Okay, _now_ it couldn't get any weirder.

"Who… are you?"

"Umm… I'm Ruby. And you are…"

"Goombaria!" The mushroom seemed to ignore the girl's strange look. "I came here because I thought I heard something falling, and…" Whatever Goombaria was going to say next was interrupted when she noticed the man next to Ruby. "Is that…"

She ran up to get a closer look. "The shirt, the hat, the mustache… You know, this really looks like the one and only Mario!"

Ruby scratched the back of her neck. "I… take it I'm supposed to be familiar with that name?"

Goombaria was the one to give the strange looks now. "You… don't know Mario? Hero of the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Uhh… no?"

"Whatever. Look, Mario's hurt, and he needs help! Come on, pick him up and follow me!" She ran off, yelling. "Dad! Goompa! Goombario! We've got a situation!"

Ruby shrugged and did as she was asked. She'd help this Mario guy out, sure. Maybe he'd know why she was here.

* * *

 _That night…_

Goombaria's family had been nice enough, if a bit confused about why Ruby didn't know that their species were called Goombas, or as to what a Grimm was, or all sorts of other things that led Ruby to the conclusion that she had, in fact, been sucked into a completely different world… not that she was going to tell anyone, of course. She had been able to pass off her lack of knowledge as merely not being from around here - it was technically the truth, and she had taken it upon herself to stay at the Toad House (a Toad apparently being a completely different type of mushroom) and watch after Mario as he healed.

As she laid down in her bed, Ruby couldn't help but worry about her friends. She had seen every last one of them get sucked into the book, and that meant they were probably here… but from the map that the Goombas had shown her, there were practically a hundred other places they could have gone.

After a couple of hours, Ruby had finally worried herself dry, and let sleep take her.

"Mario… Ruby… can you hear me?"

Ruby jolted awake at the voice. "Huh? Who are you? What's going on? How do you know my name?"

"Ah, there's no need to fear, Ruby. I am Eldstar, a Star Spirit. I have something very important to tell you and Mario. It concerns the princess… and all of the Mushroom Kingdom."

Of course, the princess the Goombas had mentioned.

"Sadly, I haven't the strength to tell you here. Mario… Ruby… I need you both to go to Shooting Star Summit. Please… we Star Spirits will be waiting for you…"

"Of course."

The reply wasn't Ruby's.

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Please read and review! It's the best way I can get better!


	3. Chapter Two: Awakening

**Disclaimer:** I used to think that they were all that ever mattered. But I don't own them and for eternity I'm shattered.

* * *

"Of course."

If Ruby wasn't already fully awake after the Star Spirit's visit, she was now. She turned to the bed next to her, where the man in red - Mario, she reminded herself - was now sitting up straight on his mattress. Ruby watched as he looked around, trying to get a grip on his surroundings. Eventually, Mario's eyes passed around to her and stopped where they were. "Umm… hello?", he asked with an accent the Huntress-in-Training couldn't quite place. "You are?"

"Oh! I'm Ruby. And from what I've heard, you're… Mario, right?"

The man nodded. "Yep. That's me. So, what are you doing here? Where _is_ here, for that matter?"

"Oh! Well, we found you in the forest outside Goomba Village, so we brought you here to recover."

"How… long ago was that?"

"Just about a day. What happened to you, anyway?"

Mario flopped down on his bed. "Hoo boy. Where do I begin…"

 _One explanation later…_

"Let me get this straight. This Bowser guy, he kidnapped the princess?"

Mario nodded.

"And this is a normal thing for you."

"It would be, but he's never gone to such… drastic measures to do it before. I mean, it's one thing to just take her and lock her up in a cage somewhere - but to do what he did this time, to take the Star Rod and lift the castle up into the sky… it's not like him."

Ruby _hmm_ ed in agreement and lay down flat on the mattress. _Princess-napping is a regular occurrence for this guy? Man, this world really is different…_

"This world?"

Ruby quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "Did I say that out loud? I - I didn't - I didn't mean -"

Mario lowered a glare at Ruby, who sighed. "Alright, fine. I've got a story for you, too…"

 _One more explanation later…_

"And that's that. Magic book. You can call me crazy any time now."

"Eh, I've heard weirder."

"But it's completely true… wait, you believe me?"

"As I said, I've seen weirder."

Ruby let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to know. Still," she sat up again. "All of my friends are out there. I have no idea where they are, I have no idea how to get back home, I don't even have my weapon with me - I've got nothing." She wadded up her blanket and hugged it. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

Mario put a gloved hand to his chin. "Ruby."

She turned towards the man.

"Did you get a vision?"

"Yeah. Did you?"

Mario nodded. "Yep. And I think it told me to take you with me to Shooting Star Summit with me. Maybe… maybe we'll find your friends along the way?"

"Do you really think so?"

He gave a slight chuckle. "I've learned that sometimes, things just end up working out that way."

"I don't really have a choice in the matter, do I?"

"If you don't want to make Eldstar upset, then no, you don't."

"Okay then. We'll head out together. But first, it's like… really late o'clock." Ruby unwadded her blanket and laid it over herself. "We should get some rest."

"Yeah. See you in the morning."

* * *

 _The next day…_

Ruby and Mario had both gotten up bright and early, ready to take on the day. The Goomba family had been quite pleased to hear of Mario's awakening, and all of them wanted to talk to him - None moreso than one of the younger ones, decked out in a blue cap.

"OH MY GOSH I FINALLY GET TO MEET YOU MARIO I'm Goombario I'm like your biggest fan ever and oh my gosh can I have your autograph I've been good I've been eating my veggies and I've been learning self-defense and training super hard and I've been reading a ton of books and-"

"Whoa, kiddo, calm down a bit!" A larger Goomba, this one with a black mustache, walked up to the younger one. "I get you're excited, but you're being just a tad overwhelming."

The younger mushroom's face turned from brown to red. "Sorry, Goompapa. I'm just super excited and really happy and I really want to prove how strong I am and I'm doing it again aren't I."

Mario chuckled. "Eh, don't worry about it. I'm just happy to know I've got fans."

Ruby raised her hand. "I hate to break up this meeting, but we really need to head out to Shooting Star Summit. Do you know the way?"

"Yes, yes I do!" said the Goompapa. "If you head east from here, you'll reach Toad Town. Then, head north to Peach's Castle-"

Mario cringed a bit.

"-and keep heading east from that path, you'll reach the summit in no time! Here, let me unlock the gate for you. But you come to visit sometime, you hear?"

Goombaria ran up to where the four were standing. "Best of luck, Mario!"

Mario looked to Ruby. "You ready?"

Ruby looked to Mario. "Yep. Let's do this."

And the two prepared to step out on the road to adventure…

"Heee! Yeee heee heee!"

Ruby plugged her ears. "What the heck is that? It's like nails on a chalkboard!"

A purple blur zoomed overhead. It flew every which way until finally settling on stopping right above the gate - where it revealed itself as… some sort of reptile witch? Ruby couldn't tell.

"Bleah heh heh… Ah, my instincts were right," the witch said. "Mario, I can't believe you're on your feet after that! And so soon, too! You're a hardy one, all right. I was smart to come here to check on you."

Goombaria tilted her head. "Huh? What's that, Daddy? What's that weird flying thing?"

"Weird? Why you little… I am a beautiful Koopa with a beautiful name: Kammy Koopa!"

"I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder," Ruby said.

"Mario! Hear this! It's useless for you to try to rescue Princess Peach! Ridiculous! Laughable! King Bowser is even more powerful than even you can deal with this time! But - he wanted me to give you this!" Kammy raised her wand, and a massive yellow block materialized out of the air. With a gesture, it was slammed down upon the ground full force - and right on top of the gate.

The witch let out another cackle. "Mario! You will kneel and weep when you see the wonderful changes King Bowser's made! Your world is ours now!" With that, she zoomed into the sky, cackling all the way.

Goompapa's eye twitched. "I… just fixed that gate... Nobody say gate to me."

"And that's why we have to go to Shooting Star Summit," Mario said.

Ruby stepped closer to the block. "Too high to just jump over, no real way to go under it, no way around it," she mused, "really, our most likely option is to break through. And if I had my weapon with me…"

Goombaria jumped a bit. "Ooh! I know! I know! Goompa's got this great big hammer! I think we could smash the block with it!"

"Goombaria, you're a genius!" said Goombario. "I think Goompa's out on the veranda. Come on, I'll lead you to them."

And so, Mario, Ruby, and Goombario ran through the house, and stepped through the door onto the veranda.

Goombario was the first to notice. "Guys? Do you feel like… something's missing?"

Ruby put a hand to her chin. "Like… what?"

"Like… the veranda?"

"You know, now that you mention it," Mario said, "yeah. It is missing."

A few seconds passed before Ruby spoke up. "We're… standing on thin air, aren't we?"

Goombario nodded. "Yep. I think we aAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…"

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Please leave a review! I MUST KNOW HOW I DID!


	4. Chapter Three: The Troopa Rises

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Mario, I don't own RWBY - heck, I barely even own the concept. I only own the execution of the concept.

* * *

"Is everyone alright?"

Ruby opened her eyes to see Goombario and Mario, already awake, standing next to… what was probably once a veranda. "Yeah, I'm fine. How about you guys?"

"A little sore, but I think that's the worst of it. Mario?"

"I just fell from a castle in space yesterday. A little tumble off a cliff is pretty tame by comparison. I'm okay."

"Well, we're all in one piece," said Goombario. "Anybody know how long we were out for?"

A fourth voice came up from behind the trio, this one raspy and old-sounding. "Oh, I reckon you've only been lying there for a couple minutes."

The three turned to find the source of the voice. It came from another Goomba, this one distinguished by a greenish-brown fez. Goombario ran up to him. "Goompa! Are you okay?"

"Oh, nothing a good nap won't fix." Goompa grunted in pain a bit. "And maybe some ibuprofen."

Ruby clapped a bit. "So, good news! We're all okay! Bad news," she said, gesturing towards a yellow block identical to the one at the house, "we can't get home."

Goompa turned to face the block. "Well, would you look at that. That's… definitely a problem."

"Luckily, that's why we're here," Mario said. "We were going to ask to borrow your hammer to break one that's blocking our way to Toad Town."

"Well, I don't have my hammer on me… I know! Let's check around here. Maybe it landed in the bushes when the veranda fell."

Goombario nodded. "Well, what are we waiting for? Everyone split up! Let's find us a hammer!"

* * *

"GUYS! GUYS! I found something!"

Mario, Ruby, and Goompa ran over to Goombario. "Did you find the hammer?"

"Yeah! Come take a look!"

Mario did so, and pulled out a wooden hammer from a bush. "Oh yeah. This'll do nicely." Then something caught his eye. "Wait… there's something else there." He put the hammer down and picked up a blocky object, colored red and black. "What is this?"

Goompa shook his head. "I have no idea."

Immediately, Ruby's hand came in between the others and snatched up the found object out of the plumber's hands. "I know exactly what it is." She took hold of the object, and almost immediately it began to unfold into a scythe taller than she was. "Say hello to Crescent Rose."

The three other people simply stared in stunned silence for a minute. Eventually, Mario managed to find his words. "You… have a scythe?"

A cheesy grin spread across the girl's face. "It's also a gun!"

"Well, since it's pretty clear Ruby knows how to use that thing," said Goompa, "why doesn't Mario take that hammer out for a spin?"

"Sure thing," said Mario. He picked up the hammer again and gave it a few practice swings. "Seems good to me." He walked up to a tree. "Now for the ultimate test."

With one mighty swing, the plumber aimed for the side of the tree. With a mighty THWACK, his aim was true. And with a not so mighty yelp, something fell out of the tree.

"Hey! Watch it, buster!"

The creature that had spoken was… reptilian, probably of the same species as the witch. Still, he was much younger - he was still wearing an eggshell as if it were clothing. He was practically fuming with anger. In his hand he clutched a doll - one clearly meant for a little girl.

"Who do you idiots think you are? This is my playground! Nobody sets foot in here without my permission! Nobody!"

Ruby turned towards Goompa. "You know this guy?"

Goompa closed his eyes and shook his head. "That's Jr. Troopa. He's the neighborhood bully. More bark than bite, really." He squinted. "Wait just a second - I recognize that doll! It's Goombaria's! You varmint! You give that back right now!"

Jr. Troopa looked at his hand. "Oh, this thing? Sure, I'll give it back… when you pry it from my cold, dead, hands!" He waved the doll at him like a particularly ineffective flail and charged straight at Goompa. He took a flying leap at the elder…

… and before he knew it, he was blocked by a girl holding a scythe, rose petals still flying off her form.

Jr. Troopa was now steaming with rage. "Alright, that's it! You're all going down!" He leapt to the side, pivoting to face the quartet. He bolted at Mario. Mario tried to dodge, but Jr. Troopa sprung into the air, bouncing off Mario's head, knocking him down. Ruby jumped up after him, slashing him and sending him crashing to the ground.

Jr. Troopa got up and dusted himself off. "Okay, I see how it is. Strategic retreat!" He made a mad dash for the exit.

Mario took notice as he got up. "He's making a run for it! We have to do something!"

Goombario took a look around - specifically, at Mario's hammer. "I have an idea! Mario, hold out your hammer!" Mario did as asked, and Goombario stood on the weapon's head. Understanding, Mario took a short, powerful swing forwards, sending Goombario flying through the air at the escaping Jr. Troopa.

It was a direct hit, full force - Jr. Troopa was knocked to the ground. Ruby walked up to him.

"I'll be taking that, if you don't mind," she said, yanking the doll out of his hand.

"Noooo! I was totally winning!" He slammed his fist on the ground. "I won't forget this! I'll be back!" He got up and ran off into the distance.

"Well, now that he's taken care of," said Goompa, "why don't we head over yonder and smash that block?"

* * *

Mario wiped some sweat off his brow as he gazed upon what used to be a block. "I have to hand it to whoever made this thing. They sure do know how to make a strong hammer."

"Don't you know it," said Goompa.

"And now that the path's clear, it's a pretty straight shot up to Goomba Village - wait, hold on." Goombario stopped in his tracks and squinted. "Heads up, everyone. Bad Goombas ahead."

Ruby quirked an eyebrow. "Bad Goombas?"

"They've made their allegiance with Bowser," answered Mario, "and since we're here - specifically, since _I'm_ here, they're probably going to attack us on sight."

"Okay. Anything we should be worried about?"

Goombario… well, he didn't have shoulders, but he seemed to convey a shrug nonetheless. "Not really. They're not particularly strong, most aren't all that smart, and overall they aren't really a threat."

Ruby decided to ignore what that implied.

* * *

Please favorite if you like the story. And even if you didn't like it, leave a review!


	5. Chapter Four: The Kid and His Idol

**Disclaimer:** If I owned these series, they would… probably be a lot worse, actually.

* * *

Ruby sighed as she shook one last Goomba off her leg, flinging it into the distance. Just as Goombario said, they weren't particularly hard to defeat, but they had come in such large numbers that Ruby couldn't help but be a little annoyed. Not helping was the lack of variety: there were Goombas. There were Spiked Goombas. There were Goombas with wings. If it weren't for Goombario and his family, Ruby might have said she never wanted to see another Goomba as long as she lived.

Speaking of, the group was already back at the west entrance to Goomba Village. As soon as Goompa opened the gate, a pink Goomba in a headwrap came dashing toward them. "Oh, Goombario! Where were you? I missed you so much!" She nuzzled herself against Goombario. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you feel faint? Dizzy? How many feet am I holding up?"

"Goomama… I'm fine," Goombario said, pushing himself off of his mother.

Goombaria ran up to the group, skidding to a halt. "Goompa! Goombario! Where've you been?"

"We looked outside, and both you and the veranda were just plain gone!" said Goompapa, tagging behind his daughter.

Goombaria jumped in the air. "I was so, so, worried about you! Really worried!'

"Sorry, folks. I apologize. Didn't mean to make you fret. We're all back, nobody's hurt." The elder of the Goomba family turned towards the plumber. "Now, Mario. Before I forget, there's something I've been meaning to give you. You all chat amongst yourselves for a moment while I get it." He headed for the house.

As she watched Goompa leave, Ruby suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Goombaria! We found this while we were on our way back. Goompa said it was yours." She held out the doll and gave it to Goombaria.

The little pink mushroom gasped. "Dolly! You got my Dolly back from that meanie! Thank you so much!" She pressed herself against Ruby's leg in what was probably meant to be a hug. "I want you to have this!" She detached herself from the Huntress-in-Training and produced a small yellow crystal, which Ruby took and observed.

"What is it?"

"I dunno. But it's shiny, isn't it?"

Mario put a hand to his chin. "Yep, it's shiny, all right."

The group was interrupted by Goompa. "I'm back! Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Eh, it's cool. We were just hanging out," said Goombario.

"Hanging out, eh? Is that what the younger generation calls it?" He shook his head. "No matter." He produced a small silver badge shaped like a boot (Ruby still didn't understand how they did that without hands). "This is for you, Mario. It's a Power Jump Badge."

Mario took the offered gift.

"Now, if you wear that, it'll give your jump a lot more _oomph_. Just pin it on your boot."

Mario did as instructed.

"Yep, just like that. Now, when you need to hit hard, just tap that badge and you'll hit harder than an angry Dino Rhino."

Goompa's suddenly grew a stern look. "But listen here, and listen well: You can't just go around Power Jumping willy-nilly. It takes energy to do it, and that energy's coming straight from that badge. You can only activate it so many times before it has to recharge. You hear?"

Mario nodded. "Yep. Got it."

"Good. Take that badge with you - and you know what? Keep the hammer, too. It should serve you well." Goompa sprouted a wistful look. "If I were a tad younger, I would go with you. I'd have done some damage! The years have started to weigh on me, though. I tell ya, this arthritis…"

Goombario sighed. "Man… adventure. I wish I could come with you."

"Actually," Goompa said, "I was thinking about how you acted during our little scuffle with Jr. Troopa earlier. And it got me thinking…" The elder paused. "You're getting older, and with that comes certain responsibilities. You're no longer a child, and evil times are upon us."

He rose an eyebrow. "Why don't you head out with Mario and Ruby?" He glanced at the two.

Mario and Ruby both nodded. "Yeah! The more help, the better!" Ruby said.

Goombario's eyes lit up. "Really? Can I? CanIcanIcanI?" He turned to face his parents. "Please?"

Goompapa laughed. "Well, if Goompa thinks it's a good idea, than I don't see why not."

Goomama, however, looked more apprehensive. "I don't know… what if he gets hurt?"

Mario placed a hand on Goombario's head. "No harm will come to your son. I promise."

The mother of the Goomba family sighed. "...but it's like Goompa said. Desperate times. Goombario… you have my permission to go."

Goombario practically leaped into the air. "YES! Mario, Ruby, you won't regret this!"

Mario tipped his hat. "I'm sure we won't."

* * *

"...and make sure to brush your teeth…"

"...yes, Mom…"

"... and get to bed at ten…"

"...yes, Mom…"

"...and make sure to write a letter!"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Do you think maybe she's just a bit… overprotective?"

Mario chuckled. "Maybe just a little."

Eventually, Goombario managed to get away from his mother and rejoined the two visitors. "Come on, guys! We've got a summit to get to!"

And so, the three headed out toward the direction of the eastern gate - only to stop dead in their tracks.

Ruby scratched the back of her head. "Right. The block. We should… probably take care of that."

* * *

As always, please favorite, follow, or leave a review!


	6. Chapter Five: The King and I

**Disclaimer:** Me no own.

* * *

"So Mario, how long until we reach Toad Town?" asked Ruby.

"If we continue straight from here, we should reach it in about two hours."

Ruby sighed. "Great. Just two more hours of walking. Doing nothing. Yippee."

"It's not that bad," said Goombario. "We have each other, we can chat along the way. For example - what was up with the super speed rose petals thing earlier?"

Ruby scratched the back of her neck. "Well, that's a short answer with a long setup, but let's just start by sayin- ooh, there's a sign!" She bolted over to it.

It was a simple sign, simply bearing a picture of a Goomba and some text. "Beware of Goombas," she read aloud. The Huntress-in-Training turned around. "Honestly, do we really _need_ to beware of those guys? They're not all tha-OOF!" She was knocked to the ground.

"You do when they sneak attack you," said the Goomba who had jumped out of the sign. "Now, who else wants some?" He took a flying leap at Mario…

...and was batted into the sky by a hammer.

Goombario ran over to Ruby. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She got up and shook her head. "That's what I get for being bored. Now, what was I saying? Oh yeah. When I say I'm not from around here, I mean I'm _really_ not from around here…"

* * *

As it turned out, I Spy was a terrible idea when everything was green.

"I spy with -"

"Is it the grass, Ruby?"

"Come on, Mario, you didn't even let me finish!"

"Fine, fine."

"Thank you. What I was _going_ to say was 'I spy with my little eye something that I'm pretty sure defies the laws of physics.'" She gestured at the floating yellow blocks, each adorned with a question mark.

"What are you… oh, those." Mario walked over to them. "? Blocks. Nobody really knows why they float. But I do know you can do this." He jumped up and struck the underside of the block with his fist. A single coin popped out of the top and clattered to the ground.

Ruby squealed. "Ohmygosh that's so cool!" She bolted over to another ? Block, this one red. She jumped up and hit it - but instead of coins, a red Badge fell out of the top. "Huh? Can someone tell me what this is?"

Goombario walked up to Ruby and observed the badge. "I think that's… a Close Call Badge. If you're in danger, enemies are more likely to miss."

Ruby pinned the badge to her cloak. "Dibs!"

* * *

"Hey, look! Another sign!"

Ruby crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, but I can no longer trust signs with mushrooms on them."

"No, this one's safe. Watch," said Mario, holding out his hands. "Eat a Mushroom to regain your energy." Sure enough, the sign rippled, and a mushroom - looking significantly less sentient than the ones Ruby had seen thus far - landed on Mario's gloves.

"Your regular, garden-variety Mushroom." Mario gave it a light toss. "Super healthy. Eat it, and you start to feel better instantly."

Ruby blinked, then facepalmed. "You know, I really shouldn't be surprised anymore."

* * *

"Hey hey! Hold it right there, suspicious guys!"

Ruby and company stopped dead in their tracks. Ahead was a sheer cliff (although not particularly tall), with stairs carved into it for easy scaling. Standing atop the cliff were two Goombas - but different from most of the ones Ruby had seen thus far. For one thing, they were much larger: a bit under twice Goombario's height. For another thing, they were colored differently - one was a bright scarlet, the other a deep blue.

The red one peered down at the trio. "Yep. Just like I thought. Mario and his cronies. You can't get past here, Mr. Big Shot!"

Goombario narrowed his eyes. "Why not?"

The blue mushroom spoke. "It's a direct order from the Goomba King!"

The red one puffed up his… chest. "Sorry, but the only way through is through the Goomba Bros. That's me, Red Goomba," he gestured at his companion, "and my brother, Blue Goomba."

"Your parents must have had a blast naming you," Ruby muttered under her breath.

The Goomba Bros. didn't seem to notice. "Come on, brother! Let's trash 'em!" cried Blue Goomba.

"I couldn't agree more!" Red Goomba leaped off the cliff straight into a Headbonk. Goombario, who was right in the way, dodged to the side.

Mario leaped over to where Red Goomba had hit the ground. He rose his hammer…

...and was sent flying to the side, courtesy of a high-velocity Blue Goomba crashing into him.

"Haha! I can't believe that wor-OOF!" Blue Goomba was, in turn, bashed into the cliff face by Goombario, dazed and unable to fight.

Red Goomba gasped. "Little brother!" He turned toward Goombario. "You'll pay for this!" He steadied himself and rocketed forward at his opponent. It was a direct hit - Goombario was knocked to the ground.

Red Goomba walked over to the groaning Goombario, laughing. "Look at you! So helpless. In fact, I feel like I could finish you off right now!" He took a stance and prepared to launch himself into the air…

… but before he could, a red and blue blur landed straight on his head, full force. "Hey, Red! If you wanna fight someone, fight me!"

Red Goomba turned around to see Mario. "Oh, I'd be glad to fight you."

"Great. But first you have to catch me!" Mario quickly turned around and dashed in the other direction. The enemy gave chase. After several minutes of running through the field, taking various twists and turns along the way, Red Goomba had almost caught up to the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Just a bit more running…

Mario tripped. Red Goomba, unable to stop himself, tripped over Mario. Ruby sped over to the enemy lying flat on his face. She swung Crescent Rose at him, sending him flying into cliff face. He fell down, dazed, next to his brother.

Blue Goomba groaned. "Uggghh… brother! We gotta get out of here!"

"Agreed." The two of them limped up the stairs and out of sight.

"Yeah! We won!" exclaimed Ruby.

Goombario groaned as he got up. "Did we? I was… kinda out for most of the fight." He cringed. "Ow… hey, Mario, do you think you could spare a Mushroom?"

"Sure." Mario took the fungus out of his pocket and tossed it to the Goomba. He ate it and sighed. "Oh, yeah. That's much better. Now," he ran towards the stairs, "it's just a few more minutes till we get to Toad Town! Follow me!"

Mario was quick to follow. Ruby shrugged and went with them.

* * *

More path meant more scenery. And more scenery meant more signs. And Ruby was pretty sure the one she was looking at was one of the helpful ones.

"Eat a Mushroom to regain your energy," she read aloud, holding out her hands. "Well, if you _insist_ …"

The sign on the picture rippled… and turned into a picture of a Goomba. "Aaaand nope!" Ruby dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding the Goomba launching itself at high speeds out of the sign and into the bushes.

The Huntress-in-Training stopped for a second to catch her breath. "Let's just keep following and never read signs again."

* * *

The trio stared up at the building that they had come across. "Did we take a wrong turn?" Goombario asked. "Because I'm pretty sure there was supposed to be a bridge here."

Ruby tilted her head. "You sure? Because it looks like it's just the fortress and then -"

THUD.

"Did anybody else feel that?"

THUD.

"Yes."

THUD.

Suddenly, an absolutely massive Goomba with a crown appeared from the top of the fortress, flanked by Red and Blue Goomba.

The trio of heroes blanched a bit. "Somebody's been eating their greens," said Goombario.

"Ah, if it isn't Mario and friends! The rumors are true: you have made it this far! I respect you for that," boomed the giant mushroom.

"Unfortunately, this is far as you get - because I, the great and powerful Goomba King, will personally see to it that you advance no farther!"

"Ya hear that, Mario?" yelled Red Goomba.

"Not one step!" yelled Blue Goomba.

The Goomba King growled. "Prepare to face my wrath!" He leaped from the fortress to the ground, creating tremors that put everyone off balance. The giant Goomba charged at the trio. Fortunately, he was slow enough that he was fairly easy to dodge.

Mario tapped his Power Jump badge and leapt onto the royal's head. It was a direct hit… and the Goomba King didn't particularly care. "Ha! You think you're gonna jump on me? Guess again!"

And so this was the general theme of the fight: All of the Goomba King's attacks would be too slow to hit, and all of Team Mario's attacks would be too weak to do anything significant.

Ruby growled as she swung Crescent Rose at the giant mushroom ineffectively. "GAH! Will you just stop enduring already!"

"Maybe you should stop dodging already!" The Goomba King swung his foot at Ruby… and hit, sending the girl flying ten feet away.

"Like that! Yes!" The Goomba king smirked. "Now let's take you out of the fight entirely." He leaped as high into the air as he could (which was surprisingly high, all things considered).

Ruby watched as the shadow of the Goomba King drew closer… and closer… and…

...missed?

Ruby noticed a shining next to her. _The Close Call Badge. Of course!_

The Goomba King was… displeased. "How'd I miss? I had a direct target!"

Ruby took a moment to observe her next plan of action. She could get to the fortress… no, too open. Maybe go back the other way… that wouldn't accomplish anything significant. Climb the nearby tree…

Ruby had an idea.

The Huntress-in-Training forced herself up. "Hey, Goomba King! You missed!" She blew a raspberry at him and used her Semblance to dash away.

"Wait, what? Where'd she go?"

"Up he-re!" taunted Ruby from atop the tree.

"Why you…" The Goomba King dashed as fast as he could (which wasn't very fast) straight at the tree. Ruby sped away seconds before impact, letting the royal's momentum do all the fighting for her.

The Goomba King was unable to stop himself from crashing into the tree - and even less so to stop the flood of giant spiky nuts falling from the tree and conking him on the noggin.

"OW! Okay, I surrender! Uncle!" The Goomba King made a mad dash for the fortress door.

Ruby cheered. "Yes! We won!"

"Yeah! Take that, Goomba King!"

"I hate to interrupt your wonderful celebration," said Mario, "but we still have no way to get to Toad Town from here." He pointed at the fortress. "That's still replacing the bridge."

"Yeah! We won… oh, yeah. That."

"Well," Goombario gestured toward the fortress. "Maybe we should… I dunno, listen in on them?"

Mario shrugged. "Worth a shot." He put his ear to the door.

"Red Goomba, you made sure to hide the switch well, right?"

"Sure thing, boss. It's hidden in the grass outside the fortress."

"Outside the… you idiot! Why didn't you hide in _in the fortress?_ "

"Well, you know… that's actually a much better idea."

Mario removed his ear from the door and pointed at the grass next to the door.

Ruby dug through the foliage for a few moments - and sure enough, she pulled out a blue switch, labeled with an exclamation point. Mario brought his hammer down on the switch.

"Mario!"

The Goomba King had once more appeared on the roof of the fortress. "Great fight and all that! Really invigorating! Wonderful strategy all around!" He cleared his throat. "Hey, if any of you happen to find a suspicious switch around here, you should… definitely _not_ press it. Yeah. It's uh… dangerous, it's the, uh… self-destruct! Yes, it's the fortress's self-destruct switch! So if you find a switch around here, that's the self-destruct switch, and you should not press it." He gave an awkward smile. "Please."

The response was three unconvinced stares.

"You already pressed it, didn't you."

The response was three slow nods.

"Well… darn."

Almost immediately, the ground began to shake. A brick fell off the fortress. Then another, and another. Eventually, the entire top tower of the fortress had fallen off, revealing a stack of blocks. The blocks launched themselves off the roof, unfolding into a bridge, which wedged itself neatly between the two sides of the cliff - and launching the Goomba King high into the air.

"Well…" said Goombario, "I think we found the bridge."

"Awesome!" Ruby cried. "Now we can get to Toad Town and Shooting Star Summit and find my friends and save the world and stuff!" She ran across the bridge as fast as she could without using her Semblance. Mario and Goombario walked after her.

"Friends, huh? Better report this."

A purple blur zoomed through the skies.

* * *

As always, please fave, follow, and read a review!


	7. Chapter Six: A Bowser Interlude

**Disclaimer:** If you're playing the Pro Mode hack, do not give Anti Guy the Lemon Candy. Just don't.

* * *

"Mighty King Bowser! I've been looking for you!"

"Yeah, Kammy? Here to espouse my awesomeness again? Oh, you don't have to. But please do."

"Actually, Your Meanness, we have a bit of a situation here."

"Oh no. Did Jerry break the coffee machine again?"

Kammy shook her head. "No, worse. Mario defeated the Goomba King."

"What?" Bowser growled. "Seriously? I make the guy a big huge king because he literally gets down on his knees and begs me… and he loses to a wimp? What a loser!"

"Well… that's not the entirety of it."

"Whaddya mean?"

"Mario has help."

Bowser quirked an eyebrow. "What kind of help?"

"Two people. One is a Goomba - fairly strong, but otherwise ordinary." Kammy adjusted her glasses. "It's his other friend I'm worried about."

"Who is this other friend of his?"

"She calls herself Ruby," replied Kammy. "She appears human, but her clothing, her abilities, her weapon - it's like nothing I've ever seen before. I have good reason to believe that she is of… otherworldly origin. And she says she's got friends here."

"Alright, so she's an alien. Whoop-de-doo. It's not like she'll be able to stop me." Bowser's eyes shifted from left to right for a second. "Uh… they won't be able to stop me, right?"

"Oh, please, your Jerkliness! Calm down. The Goomba King was small potatoes - I had a feeling he would fail."

"It doesn't matter, because as long as you hold the Star Rod, you are one hundred percent invincible. You could beat Mario and his troupe with one claw tied behind your back! I'm just saying it's something we might want to keep an eye on."

Bowser held up the Star Rod. "Yes, yes. Very good." He let out a sinister chuckle. "By the way, Kammy. Those Star Spirits we captured… they don't have any way of giving Mario their power, do they?"

"Oh, don't worry. There's a reason they're all held separately. And there's a reason they're all being carefully guarded by your own clawpicked elite subjects. Even Mario and that Ruby girl couldn't save all seven of them."

"Good, good." Bowser brought a claw to his chin. "Which Star Spirit's the closest to Plumber Boy? That's the one at Koopa Bros. Fortress, right? If Mario manages to stumble his way through there, can the Koopa Bros. defeat him?"

"Oh, Your Majesty, you mustn't worry."

Both Bowser and Kammy turned to face the source of the voice. Standing there were four Koopa Troopas in eye masks, each identical save for the color of their masks, shells, and shoes.

The one in red spoke. "Koopa Bros. reporting for duty! Uh-huh! We're the coolest of cool!"

Bowser leaned over and whispered in Kammy's ear. "Are you sure these guys are the right ones for the job? I mean, the Goomba King was huge, and he got flattened!"

The red turtle waved a green-gloved hand. "Pssh! Get real, King Dude! Sure, Shroomface was huge, but he was a total wimpola! We're nothing like him!"

"What we've got going here is the power of teamwork. Together, we can put the hurt on Mario faster than you can say 'waste him'!"

Kammy clapped her hands. "That's the spirit! Sell it, Koopa Bros.! Show King Bowser that special thing you do so well!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The red turtle turned toward his compatriots. "You heard her! Everybody in position!"

Bowser watched as the Koopa Brothers did their special attack. "Ooh… OOH!" He jumped up and down, clapping his hands. "Ooh, it's so pretty!"

The red Koopa took a bow. "How'd you like it, Your Majesty?"

"Bravo! I'm not easily impressed, but that… that was incredible! Mario and his friends won't stand a chance against that!"

"We'll take him, King Bowser."

"By the way, guys. If you're up here… who's guarding the fortress?"

"We are, sir."

"No you're not! You have to be in the fortress to guard the fortress!"

"Oh, but aren't we?" The red Koopa snapped his fingers, and he and his group vanished in a puff of smoke.

Bowser and Kammy stared blankly at where the Koopa Bros. once were. "See, Kammy?" said Bowser. "I knew they were the right guys for the job."

Kammy rolled her eyes. "Of course, your Ferociousness."

* * *

Toad Town, in a word, was charming. For what was supposedly the house of royalty, it was fairly small and cozy. Still, there was definitely plenty of business here - just from here, Ruby could see a grocery store, a dojo, a nightclub…

Ruby was taken out of her thoughts when a short person with a mushroom cap ran up to them, flailing his arms - a Toad, from what she remembered, though she couldn't help think of him more as a mushroom Faunus.

"Oh, Mario! I'm so glad you're OK! The town's in a frenzy! The princess has been kidnapped! The very castle been uprooted! It's complete madness!"

Mario placed his hands on the Toad's shoulders. "Calm down. We'll save her. We promise."

The mushroom person stopped his arm-flailing and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I guess you're right. You always do." He took a look at the sky behind him. "I guess everybody's just freaking out because of how bold Bowser's gotten. I mean, the castle just completely gone?" He shook his head. "You should see the ruins for yourself."

Mario lowered his gaze. "Yes. Yes we should. Come on, guys, follow me."

* * *

As Ruby followed Mario through the streets of Toad Town, she couldn't help but get distracted at the unfamiliar sights. A fancy flower garden, decorated with a simple arch. A blue house with a spinning roof. What appeared to be two dog-people setting up an open air marketplace. It was all a bit overwhelming.

Nevertheless, she had a mission. She gestured at Mario to push open the castle gate.

Toad Town was cute, and charming, and pleasant. The former site of Peach's Castle was… not any of those things. The ground was strewn with rubble. A single fountain lazily tossed out streams of water in random directions.

Goombario took a moment to gaze into the dirtied water. "Man, this place has seen better days, hasn't it?"

"No kidding." Ruby kicked a piece of brick down the broken street.

"So," Mario said in a blatant effort to change the subject, "Shooting Star Summit is over that way! That's bound to be a lot less depressing, right?"

Goombario let out a quick sigh as he stepped away from the fountain. "Yeah, let's get out of here."

* * *

If Toad Town was charming, and the ruins were depressing, then Shooting Star Summit was peaceful. No townspeople to run into, no Goombas to fight - not even any blocks to hit. Just Ruby, her traveling companions, and the serene, ethereal landscape.

The trio slowly ascended the spiraling path up the summit, each footstep padding down a patch of the ethereal lavender-colored grass. Eldstar - rather, Eldstar's projection - was already waiting for them at the top.

"Welcome. Mario, Ruby. We've been waiting for you."

The Star Spirit floated away from them, and six other stars appeared, surrounding the peak. Eldstar spoke up again. "As you may already know, we are the seven Star Spirits. Our job is to grant the wishes of good people from our home in Star Haven." He let out a sigh, his mustache fluttering slightly. "What we have to tell you is incredibly important. Please, listen well."

"The other day, Bowser and his followers invaded Star Haven. They stole our most prized treasure, the Star Rod, which we've cared for since the beginning of time."

A second Star, adorned with a pink bow, spoke. "The Star Rod is powerful beyond all measure. It has to be, in order to grant wishes. And for as long as we've been able to recall, Bowser has been making wishes."

"Of course, they're the kind of wishes you'd expect from him - 'I'd like to trounce Mario' or 'I want Peach to like me.' And of course, we ignored such selfish wishes."

A third Star, this one purple with glasses and pencil-thin mustache, growled. "Bowser… that fiend… When he figured out that we were ignoring him, he took matters into his own hands. He came to Star Haven and stole the Star Rod so he could grant his own wishes."

"He seems content for now, mainly because he beat you and captured the princess. I fear, however, that soon he'll start wishing for more… and it won't end well."

"It's our job to keep the Star Rod safe," said a fourth Star Spirit, this one blue with a sailor's cap. "We gotta get it back from Bowser and return it to its rightful place! Until we do that, nobody's wishes can come true!" He gestured at Mario. "And that's where you guys come in."

The fifth Star, pink with an orange ribbon, sighed. "Unfortunately, you currently aren't strong enough to challenge Bowser. He has made himself all-powerful with the Star Rod. He is terrible to behold."

A Star wearing a bow tie and holding a book spoke. "Once our celestial septet is reunited, we will be able to confer on you the capability to combat this antagonizer even with his newfound robustness. With our assistance, you can prevail!"

Eldstar lowered a glare at him. "Klevar. Simple words."

The Star scratched the back of his… head-point. "Oh, sorry. Once we are all together again, we'll be able to give you the power to fight Bowser even with all his new power."

The final Star, greenish with a small mustache, spoke. "Mario… Ruby… we are…"

Suddenly, the Stars all begin to flicker rapidly.

"Alas… we've nearly exhausted all our remaining power talking to you. We have had to use all our strength to talk to you over such great distances. We're all being guarded by Bowser's followers and held in different places throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Please - Mario, Ruby. First you must rescue us!"

Eldstar spoke again. "In order to take back the Star Rod from Bowser and save Princess Peach, we need your help."

The seven Star Spirits began to fade. "Please, you two… you are our last hope. And we will…"

The Star Spirits disappeared.

"Wait!" cried Ruby. "Don't go! I have so many questions! How do you know my name? Where are you? Do you know where my friends are? Can you get me home? I need to know!"

"Ruby." Mario placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I don't think there's any way to know that just yet."

"Tell you what. Why don't you tag along a little while longer? Maybe we can get answers on the way."

Ruby sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She stood up straighter. "I, Ruby Rose, will accompany you on this mission!" She gave a sloppy salute.

Mario chuckled. "Great." He turned to Goombario. "You in?"

"Well, Mario, I never realized just how serious this all is… but if you're going to do this, then I'll go with you all the way."

"Yeah! Let's go save the world!" Ruby held out her hand.

Mario put a gloved hand on top of hers.

Goombario placed his foot on to of the stack.

"Let's-a go!" exclaimed Mario.

The three of them cheered and raised their appendages toward the brightest light in the night sky.

* * *

You know the drill - fave, follow, and leave a review! And watch out for angry April snowstorms!


	8. Chapter Seven: Thank Your Lucky Stars

**Disclaimer:** Don't run with scissors, folks.

* * *

"Ugh, my head…"

Jaune groaned as he got to his feet. "Where am I, anyway? Last I remember, I was helping get Penny get her arm out of… that book…"

He grew a puzzled look. "Wait, am I… in the book? Could anybody tell me what's going on?"

"I don't know, but at least we're together, right?"

Jaune steeled himself and turned around… only to relax as he saw who had spoken. "Oh, it's just you, Pyrrha," he said, taking his hand off Crocea Mors."So, first order of business: figure out where we are, I guess?"

"I guess."

A quick check of the room revealed that it was quite fancy. The walls were sky-blue, the carpet was pink, there was a fireplace and an incredibly fancy pink bed - overall, it was a room fit for a princess.

The duo's observations were cut short by the sound of a door unlocking.

"Quick! Let's hide!" Pyrrha grabbed Jaune, and the two ducked into a side closet.

The door opened, and into the room stepped a young woman in a frilly pink dress - followed by a giant spiky turtle and a small purple-robed lizard-person.

"Alright! Bathroom break's over!" exclaimed the turtle.

The woman sighed and wiped a tear from her face.

The lizard-person spoke, in a voice that made the two want to plug their ears. "I know what you're thinking, Peach, and I'm going to shut you down right there: we're so high up, that Mario and that Ruby girl don't have a chance of reaching you!"

Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes widened.

"Besides," continued the turtle, "I have the Star Rod. I'm completely invincible. Nobody can touch me!" He hoisted up the aforementioned artifact. "You know the power that grants everyone's wishes? It's mine now! Isn't that just the greatest?"

"No," replied the woman.

The turtle shot her a brief glare, and continued as if he hadn't heard it. "You know, Peachy, if you ever want anything, you can just ask me. _I_ can grant wishes. Anyway, think about it. See ya!"

The lizard-person pulled a wand from behind her back and prodded the woman - Peach, she was called - and leaned threateningly at her. "And don't cause any trouble."

The two reptiles turned and exited the room.

Jaune and Pyrrha watched as the woman hung her head. "Oh… I wish there was someone to help me…"

A banging came from the glass balcony door.

"Huh? Who could that be?" She walked over to the door and opened it. A little yellow star with a face burst into the room.

"Hello, Princess Peach! Pleased to meet you!" said the star. "I'm Twink! I came all the way to Star Haven to grant your wish!"

"But… you're a Star Kid, aren't you?"

"Yep! That's why I'm here! It's… basically my job. You wished that there was somebody here to help you, and I came to help you!"

Peach clapped her hands. "That's great! Thank you so much!" She cleared her throat. "I wish for you to go and take that Star Rod back from Bowser. Do you think you can do it?"

Twink frowned. "Uh… sorry… that's way, way above my level. I can't do that. Maybe ask for something a bit more doable?"

"Okay then…" Peach put a gloved hand to her chin. "Can you… can you take me away from here?"

"Sorry, Peach. That's still way too big for me." He scratched the back of his… Jaune could only really call it a 'neck'. "You see, I was only called up to the sky a day ago… I can't do the big stuff yet. Maybe if I were a more splendid Star, I could actually help."

Peach clasped her hands together. "It's okay. Don't be sad, Twink. Mario will definitely do something to save us all. He's probably coming right now."

Peach suddenly jolted. "I know what you can do!" She produced a small glittering item.

Jaune peered in from his hiding place to get a closer look… and promptly regretted it when it sent him crashing to the ground. "WHOA!"

Peach and Twink jumped. "Huh? Who was that?" They ran over to the closet where Jaune and Pyrrha were hiding. Their eyes grew wide.

"Who are you?"

* * *

"And… that's our story." Jaune scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true."

"Oh, no, I can believe it," said Peach. "I don't know about this Remnant place you claim to be from, but I can safely say that magic is alive and well here in the Mushroom Kingdom."

Pyrrha sighed in relief. "Thank goodness." She looked around. "So… we've been kidnapped."

"Yes."

"And… this is a regular thing for you?"

"Well… kind of. What is a regular thing is Bowser kidnapping me. What isn't is just how far Bowser's gone this time. I'm worried for everyone."

"But wait," asked Jaune, placing a hand on his sword. "We have weapons with us. Couldn't we just take out Bowser right now and be done with it?"

"You don't understand," said Twink. "Bowser is completely invincible. Nothing can hurt him. And until the seven Star Spirits are reunited, there's no way to cancel that invincibility out. Sorry."

Jaune sighed and removed his hand. "Okay. So we're stuck here?"

"For now. It probably won't be that long - Mario's usually pretty quick about rescuing me. Still, we should find you a place to sleep."

"I hate to interrupt," said Twink, "but isn't there something you wanted me to do?"

"Oh! Yes!" The princess produced a small golden star-shaped charm and handed it to the Star Kid. "If you could find Mario and give this to him, it would make my day."

The Star Kid observed the charm. "This is a Lucky Star, isn't it? Sure, I can take it to him! You can count on me!"

"Great! And, if you could tell Mario… I'm fine and he shouldn't worry. And Pyrrha - this Ruby girl is your friend, right?"

Pyrrha nodded.

"Then tell her that Jaune and Pyrrha are here with me, and they're fine too."

Twink nodded vigorously. "Of course! I'll tell them everything you said! See you later!" He zoomed out the balcony door and into the inky blackness of the night sky.

The three remaining people in the room watched until he was no longer visible. Then Peach turned around. "Now, about that place to sleep. I think you hiding in the closet was a good start, but it's a bit difficult to set up sleeping bags in there…"

* * *

The journey back to Toad Town from Shooting Star Summit was equally uneventful as the journey to - and equally beautiful.

Or at least it would have been uneventful, if it weren't for something striking Mario in the back of the head and knocking him to the ground.

"Who did that?" asked Ruby, unfolding Crescent Rose. "Show yourself! I won't let you hurt-"

She dropped her scythe.

Floating there was a tiny yellow star with a face.

"OhmygoshI'msosorryI'minahugehurry-" the star noticed the man in red. "Heeeey… you're Mario!"

"Yep. That's me," the plumber said, getting up and dusting himself off.

"Oh, thank the Stars! You're just the guy I'm looking for!" He floated around happily. "I'm Twink." He held out a hand-analogue, and Mario shook it. "Peach sent me here to bring you something. Just give me a second." He produced a small golden charm in the shape of a five-pointed star. "Ta-da!" He handed it to Mario.

Mario took the charm and turned it over in his hand several times, before stringing it around his neck. "Thanks, but… what is it?"

"It's a Lucky Star!"

Goombario quirked an eyebrow. "Okay… but what does it _do_?"

"I don't know if it's true or just old folktales, but it's been said that travelers who possess a Lucky Star will have great luck on their journeys. Peach wanted me to give it to you, and-"

"AH-HA! I've found you, you little starry scamp!"

A blue blur screeched to a halt in front of the four, revealing itself to be another wizard. Unlike the one Ruby had encountered in Goomba Village, this one was dressed in blue, with simpler, rounder glasses. "I knew that if I followed you, you'd lead me straight to Mario!"

Twink paled. "Wait… you were _following_ me?"

"Duh! And now I'm here, I can take all of you on! Oh, I can see it now… once I defeat you, Kammy will give me a promotion! I'll get a raise! King Bowser will give me a medal! I'll get statues erected in my honor as the Magikoopa who finally defeated Mario once and for all!"

The trio of adventurers took a battle stance. "Yeah, don't quit your day job," said Goombario.

"LET ME LIVE MY DREAM!" The Magikoopa raised his wand and immediately shot a glowing projectile at the Goomba. Goombario dodged out of the way.

A burst of rose petals zoomed up to the wizard, and Ruby slashed him, knocking him off his broom and hurtling to the purple ground.

The Magikoopa got up and adjusted his glasses. "Why you little… Just for that, you're going to get a taste of my most powerful spell ever!" He twirled his wand around in his hand, the gem on the end beginning to glow a bright orange. "INCENDIUM EXPLODIUS!" He thrusted the wand forward, sending a burning orange fireball straight at Ruby at top speed.

Ruby ducked out of the way as fast as she could - only noticing too late the man in red frozen in the path of the massive fireball.

"MARIO!"

Immediately before the projectile hit, the Lucky Star began to glow a soft gold.

A massive explosion surrounded the man. Ruby felt a scorching heat. It was too late.

"YES!" The Magikoopa jumped up and down in the air as the smoke cleared. "I've done it! I've gotten rid of Pasta Face! I'm gonna be famous!"

"About that…"

The smoke cleared. Mario was still there, bruised and singed but still standing.

Ruby, Goombario, and Twink's collective jaws dropped.

The wizard froze and dropped his wand. "Wait, what? That… that should have ended your game! You should be dead! You… HOW ARE YOU STILL STANDING?"

The charm around the plumber's neck stopped glowing.

"Now," said Mario, "let's finish this off, shall we?" He took his hammer and leaped toward the shocked Magikoopa. With a mighty THUNK, he slammed it upon the mage's skull, knocking him out cold.

Ruby ran up to him. "Mario! Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." He rubbed a hand over his arm and winced. "Mostly."

"How did you survive that?" asked Goombario.

"I think… I think it was the Lucky Star," said Twink. "Now I get why Peach wanted to give that to you."

"Well, good thing she did," said Mario.

"You go get some rest," said the Star Kid. "I have to get back to Peach." He turned to leave - and quickly turned around again. "Wait! I've got some important news for you and Ruby!"

"Mario, Peach just wants to let you know: Peach is fine and you shouldn't worry."

Mario nodded slowly. "Thank you."

Twink turned towards the girl. "And Ruby… you are Ruby, correct?"

The girl nodded 'yes,' and Twink continued. "Jaune and Pyrrha are with Peach, and they're fine too."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Jaune and Pyrrha?" She instantly bolted towards the little Star and embraced him in a tight, crushing, hug. "OhmygoshthankyousomuchI'msogladthey'resafeand-"

"You're.. Welcome…" managed Twink. "I… need to… get back… to Peach now… and… I'd like… to get there… in one piece… if you don't mind…"

Ruby's eyes widened. "Oh! Sorry!" She let go. "You should get back to Jaune and Pyrrha and Peach, yeah. Tell them we said hi!"

"I will. Bye, everyone!" And with that, Twink floated back up into the night sky.

"There he goes, back to Bowser's Castle," said Goombario. "Brave little guy."

Mario nodded in agreement. "Yep. Now, it's getting pretty late. All in favor of heading to my place and spending the night?"

"Aye!"

* * *

If Ruby wasn't so tired, she would have commented on how weird Warp Pipes are. You just step in one pipe, and you came out a completely different one on the other side of the kingdom? That wasn't something she could explain.

Still, she was tired, so she would complain in the morning.

Mario's house wasn't what she was expecting from the legendary hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Instead of a fancy mansion with statues and butlers and fifty billion rooms, it was small and simple. A small house, a porch, a mailbox.

And a guy on the porch, who Mario immediately ran up to and hugged.

"Luigi!"

"Brother!"

Ruby could immediately see the family resemblance - Luigi was basically just a taller, thinner Mario. She might not have able to tell them apart if Luigi wasn't dressed in green, as opposed to Mario's red.

"Luigi, you got out okay! How?"

The taller brother let go of the embrace and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I was already pretty close to the door. When the castle started shaking, I just ran for the door… and, well, here I am." He looked over his brother. "Yikes, what happened to you. Bro? You look like you've been roughed up quite a bit."

"Nothing a good rest won't fix." Mario turned towards Ruby and Goombario. "You two! Come over and meet my brother!"

The two stepped up onto the porch and Ruby shook the man in green's hand. "You must be Luigi," said Goombario.

"Yep. And you two would be?"

"I'm Ruby."

"And I'm Goombario. Nice to meet you!"

"These two people have agreed to help me rescue Peach," explained Mario.

"I see." Luigi leveled a flat stare. "Great. Just great. You're all on an exciting adventure, and once again I'm left behind to watch the homefront."

"Oh come on, Luigi. It's not that bad."

"Yeah, I know," said the taller brother. "You two take care of my bro, alright?"

"We will," answered Ruby.

"Good. So, what brings you all here?"

"Well, actually," replied the shorter brother, "I was going to ask if it was alright if these two stayed the night."

"Sure, you guys are welcome here. Any friend of my bro is a friend of mine. Come on in, I'll whip up some food and then we can figure out sleeping arrangements."

* * *

If the outside of Mario's house was small, then the inside was even more so. Just two rooms - a kitchen and a bedroom - and neither was particularly large. Still, there was enough room at the table for four, and the atmosphere was comforting.

Dinner that night was fried mushrooms, with apple pie for dessert. Nothing particularly fancy, Mario had assured Ruby, but it was still pretty tasty. The four had talked about all sorts of things: how the princess was doing, how Ruby got to the Mushroom Kingdom in the first place, how there were still six very confused Remnans somewhere in the kingdom, completely lost.

Eventually, dinner was finished. Mario and Luigi had set up two sleeping bags in their room for their guests. It wasn't the most comfortable bed Ruby had slept in, but it would do.

Ruby turned over in her sleeping bag. "Yang… Blake… Weiss… Penny… Nora… Ren… Don't worry. We're coming to get you."

Ruby let herself drift off to sleep.

* * *

As per usual, don't forget to fave, follow, and review!


	9. Chapter Eight: Merlon the Wizard

**Disclaimer:** Do not read this chapter if you are allergic to awesome mustaches.

* * *

Everyone had gotten up bright and early that morning. Luigi had poured everyone cereal, and after a quick breakfast, they said their goodbyes and left for town. They hopped into the Warp Pipe to town…

… and when they exited, they were immediately greeted by a indigo-robed figure with a big, bushy white mustache.

"Ah, Mario! Ruby! Goombario! I've been awaiting you. Follow me."

Goombario quirked an eyebrow. "And you are?" he asked.

"There will be time for formalities when we arrive. Please, there's no time to waste."

The trio looked at each other, shrugged, and began to follow. "Why does everyone here already know my name before I meet them?" asked Ruby.

* * *

Mario and crew followed the mysterious figure through the bustling streets of Toad Town, taking several completely illogical twists and turns, stopping only when the figure stopped in front of a large blue house with a spinning roof. He held open the door and gestured to the adventurers. "Please, come in!"

The three shrugged and entered, followed by the mysterious figure.

The house was but one room, with just one piece of furniture: A lone table, sporting nothing but a crystal ball. The figure took post on the table's far side. "Thank you for coming. I am Merlon. I foresaw your arrival in town, and I knew I had to take action."

"How do you know our names?" asked Ruby.

Merlon let out a wry chuckle. "I am a fortune-teller. I see the future. But I digress."

"When I was reading the stars the other day, I had a vision. What I saw is incredibly important, and it concerns you three. But before I tell you what I saw, there are other things of which I must speak. It is a very long story, but I'll try to shorten it for time's sake." Merlon put a hand to his chin. "Now, where to start… ah, that's good."

Merlon cleared his throat.

 _Five hours later…_

"...and that is why I am able to assist you - hey, were you even listening to me?"

The trio snapped awake and nodded vigorously.

"Oh… alright, then. If you ever get lost, you can ask me. I can predict the path you should take… for a small fee, of course." He gazed into his crystal ball. "Right now, your main goal is to save Princess Peach as quickly as possible…"

"But that's not possible right now," finished Mario.

"Yes, precisely. According to my second sight, you should first head out to the great fortress of the Koopa Brothers."

"Okay, so where's that?"

"Begin by heading east from town on the road from the Toad House. The path should lead you there eventually."

"Great! Let's go!" Ruby burst out the door, followed by her two traveling companions.

* * *

"Whaddya mean we can't go?"

Four Toads were blocking the street - unlike any Toad Ruby had seen thus far. They each had dark grey mushroom caps, instead of the usual white. They were almost completely identical, the only differences being the colors of their spots and vests.

"I mean _you can't go!_ " said the red-spotted Toad. "It's way too dangerous."

"Going to Koopa Bros. Fortress would be a huge mistake," said another one, his dark grey cap being accented with spots that were outright black.

"Definitely. Definitely shouldn't go," said another one, decked out in yellow.

The last Toad, this one with green highlights, spoke. "And don't even think about asking old man Merlon for help. That'd be really bad news for us… I mean, you! It'd be bad news for you! So don't even think about it!"

The three travelers exchanged glances. Ruby raised a finger. "Yeah, we'll be right back."

* * *

"What?" cried Merlon. "Strange Toads blocking the route to the fortress? Preposterous. I'll get to the bottom of this." He left the building, gesturing at the party to follow him.

They did as requested, and followed Merlon again until they reached the mysterious Toads.

The one in red spoke up again. "Hey, I told you! You can't pass!"

"Now scram!" yelled the one in black.

Merlon squinted at the road-blocking mushrooms. "Hmm… you aren't Toads at all, are you?"

The potentially-a-Toad in yellow began to sweat. "Uh… we dunno what you're talking about."

The green… Toad? raised his arms. "Yeah, dude. What gives? We're just a couple of cute, ordinary Toads hangin' out! Yeah…" He tugged at the collar of his vest.

Merlon swung an arm to the side. "Enough of this tomfoolery! Reveal your true selves!"

The fortune-teller raised his arms to the heavens. Suddenly, despite the perfectly clear, blue skies, a bolt of lightning descended upon the four Toads - revealing them not to be Toads at all, but bipedal turtles in eye-masks.

"Ah-ha!" said Merlon. "It's just as I suspected. You're the Koopa Bros.!"

The Koopa Bros.' collective faces paled. The one with the red shell and eye-mask (they still retained their colors, Ruby noticed) turned to his compatriots. "Dudes! We gotta retreat!" All four of the turtles turned tail and ran - fairly fast for turtles.

Merlon turned to the adventurers. "Mario, Ruby, Goombario. Those impostors were none other than the notorious Koopa Bros. You must pursue them to their fortress."

"We'll get right on it," said Goombario.

Merlon held up a hand. "Wait. Before you leave, there is something I forgot to tell you earlier. In my vision, there were three colors that swirled around in a void - and each one claimed they would help you on your journey."

"Three… colors?" asked Ruby. "What… were those colors?"

"Yes, three colors, all swirling and dancing and claiming their allegiance to your cause. Blue, pink… and yellow."

"Do you have any idea what that means?" asked Mario.

"Well, if I knew what it meant, wouldn't I just tell you outright? Now off with you, there's no time to waste!"

The three waved goodbye and headed east for the Koopa Bros. Fortress.

* * *

A bit of a short chapter to make up for the really long chapter that came with it.

As per usual, please fave, follow, and especially review!


	10. Chapter Nine: Sturm und Yang

Holy buckets I've hit 1000 views! I know that's not much in the grand scheme of things, but that's like, a thousand more views than I thought I'd have. Thanks so much. It means a lot to me that you're all reading this story.

And now, without any further ado, the chapter I've been wanting to write for forever.

 **Disclaimer:** There is no spoon.

* * *

The path to the Koopa Bros. Fortress was pleasant. So pleasant, in fact, that it was actually called Pleasant Path, according to Mario. Ruby thought it would be more pleasant if there weren't so many of Bowser's minions to fight - mainly because by "more of Bowser's minions", she meant _more Goombas_. Ugh. She shook another Paragoomba off of Crescent Rose, hoping for the end of the endless mushroom deluge.

Unfortunately for her, that end came in the form of a high-velocity turtle shell very nearly banging her in the foot.

The shell skidded to a halt on the ground, and out popped another bipedal turtle, not unlike the ones Ruby had seen earlier. This one, however, had a red shell - and sunglasses. She couldn't not notice the sunglasses.

Before it could do anything else, though, Mario had already jumped on it, flipping it over.

"What the heck was that thing?" asked Ruby.

"That was a Koopa Troopa," answered Goombario. "Their shells are hard, so they're a little harder to hit - but as you may have noticed, if you can get them on their backs, they're helpless - which makes it really easy to do this!" He launched into a Headbonk straight onto the turtle's underbelly, knocking it out cold.

Ruby guessed that was… sort of an improvement. And there were still plenty of Goombas. Joy.

* * *

"A fork in the road, guys."

Ruby was snapped out of her daydreaming at Mario's voice. Pleasant Path had, in fact, split into two routes - one upper, one lower. "So, which one's which?"

Goombario looked at the sign. "Upper path, Koopa Bros. Fortress… Lower path, Koopa Village."

Mario put a gloved hand to his chin. "Well, we're going to have to go to the fortress sooner or later… but I think we should head to the village first. You know, stock up on items, rest up - you know, prepare to storm the fortress."

Ruby nodded in agreement.

Goombario grew a thoughtful look. "Hmm… you guys head down to the village. I'll scout out ahead at the fortress."

Mario and Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Are you… sure about that?" asked Mario. "It's pretty dangerous out there."

"Oh come on, I'm a mature Goomba," answered Goombario."You've seen how well I fight. I'll be fine."

Mario sighed. "Fine. Just… be careful."

"Of course. I'll come back as soon as I get the info I'm looking for."

And so, the two waved Goombario goodbye, and the groups headed their separate ways.

* * *

If Goomba Village was a small town, and Toad Town was a big city, than Koopa Village was somewhere in the middle. It was entirely inhabited by Koopas (not Koopa Troopas, Mario had told Ruby, just the ones who were affiliated with Bowser were Troopas), and the houses were all designed after turtle shells. It looked like a calm little town…

...except for the fact that most of the residents were running around shelless, chasing after hundreds of small black balls of fur carrying their shells.

One of the turtles, being in the minority that were still in their carapace, ran up to the now-duo. "Can it be? Are you… Mario?"

The plumber nodded. "Yep. That's me."

The turtle raised his fists to the air. "Holy cow, it's Mario! I really wish we could give you a proper Koopa Village welcome, but as you can see," he gestured behind himself at the shelless masses, "we're kind of in a pickle right now."

"Yeah," said Ruby. "We noticed."

"This village is in an uproar because of the Fuzzies. They're going around stealing everyone's shells, making fools of everybody… it's madness. Hey, you two be caref-"

Suddenly, a black ball of fur landed squarely on top of the Koopa, yoinking off his shell and running away with it.

"HEY! Stupid Fuzzy! Get back here with my shell!" The turtle, now in nothing but shoes and an undershirt, began to chase after the creature.

Mario chased after the Fuzzy (who was just leading the Koopa in circles) and swung his hammer straight onto it, being careful not to hit the pilfered shell. The creature yelped in pain and ran off, dropping its catch.

"Oh thank goodness!" exclaimed the Koopa, running up to grab his shell and put it back on. "Oh, thank you, Mario! I owe you one," He said, squeezing his head through the shell's headhole. "I can't just walk around without a shell on. Too embarrassing." He pointed to Mario and Ruby. "You two watch your shells, okay?"

"We… don't have shells," said Ruby.

"Oh. Right. Well, uh… watch your clothes. And your fancy gardening tools," said the turtle, gesturing at Crescent Rose. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go inside." He ran away.

"Okay," said Mario. "We've got a Fuzzy infestation. I'll help the Koopas get their shells back. Ruby, if you could take care of the Fuzzies?"

"Sure thing," said Ruby, unfolding her scythe.

* * *

Goombario grinned as he finished crossing the bridge leading to the Koopa Bros. Fortress. Mario, THE Mario, was going to be so impressed at his bravery and willingness to give to the cause. Maybe he could even take out some of Bowser's minions along the way as a bonus. Oh, the possibili-

Suddenly, there was a rustling of leaves. The next thing Goombario knew, he was upside down and surrounded by wire mesh netting.

A Koopa Troopa leaped out of the bushes above him. "Hey! We got something!"

A second figure, a Spiked Goomba, leaped out behind him and growled. "Eh… it's just a Goomba. Let him go."

A Paragoomba flew out from behind a tree. "That's not just any Goomba. That's the Goomba that's been traveling with Mario and that girl!"

"So? We _wanted_ Mario. We _get_ a dang Goomba! What's the point in keeping him here?"

The Koopa Troopa grew incredulous. "What's the point - what's the point? The point is that he's still with Mario! Think about how much of a raise we'll get if we trash him! We'll have enough to buy a new yacht every day!"

The Paragoomba flew up to where Goombario was captured. "Yeah! I'll cut the rope!"

The Spiked Goomba sighed. "Fine. But make sure to drop him hard. I don't want him getting away."

"Sure thing!" Goombario felt himself go into freefall, before hitting the ground hard.

The Goomba turned himself around to see three shadowy figures looming over him, chuckling evilly…

"Hey! Go pick on someone your own size!"

Everybody turned, distracted from their disagreement, at the sound of the voice. Standing there was a young woman with long, blond hair.

"Who do you think you are?" asked the Paragoomba.

"Who cares who she thinks she is?" countered the Koopa. "Get her!"

The Spiked Goomba was the first to take initiative, launching himself into a Headbonk at the woman. She dodged, and delivered a single punch to her opponent, sending him flying.

The Koopa Troopa was next in line - he tucked into his shell and dashed at the blonde. She jumped out of the way. The turtle reemerged, and swiped a claw at her. The woman once again dodged, and sent another gauntleted fist his way - stopping just short of the Troopa's face.

Once he had gotten over his initial shock, the Koopa grinned. "Hah! You missed!"

"Did I?" A bullet fired from the gauntlet, knocking the turtle out.

Goombario's eyes widened.

The Paragoomba snuck up behind the woman, taking hold of her long, golden hair in his mouth. He gave a short, sharp tug.

The woman yelped and turned around. The flying mushroom let go of her hair and stuck out his tongue at her.

Suddenly, her lilac eyes turned burning red, and her hair rose and burst into flames. She pulled back her fist.

The Paragoomba's eyes widened. He gulped. "Uhh… sorry?"

The woman sent her fist flying forward, directly into the mushroom's face, sending him hurtling into the sky.

The woman's hair stopped burning, and her eyes turned purple again. She ran over to Goombario. "Are you okay, little guy?"

Goombario got up slowly. "Yeah. Just a little dazed. Thanks for the save."

"Well, that's good to hear." The woman looked around. "So… where am I, anyways? I'm kind of… lost."

"Well, this is the road to the Koopa Bros.' Fortress. I was just scouting ahead for the other guys." He grew a thoughtful look. "Say… you wouldn't happen to know anyone named Ruby, would you?"

The woman quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, I do. She's my sister." Her eyes widened. "Do you know where she is? Can you take me to her?"

"Sure thing! But first," he tipped his hat at her. "Goombario. Pleased to meet you. I'd shake your hand, but… you know…"

"You don't have any." The woman adjusted her orange scarf. "Yang. Yang Xiao Long."

"Well, Yang," said Goombario, turning in the direction of the bridge, "follow me!"

The two ran as fast as they could to Koopa Village.

* * *

Ruby grunted as three more Fuzzies slammed into a wall. There were far too many of these guys - for every one she defeated, two more seemed to take their place. And when they bit - MAN, did they bite. She turned towards another one of the creatures and raised her scythe.

"MEEOOORK! What's that behind you?" it cried. Ruby stopped in her tracks - and suddenly felt a lot lighter.

"MEEEEOOORK!" came a voice from behind her. She turned around. Another Fuzzy was running away - and carrying Crescent Rose with it.

Ruby was now furious. "Get back here!" She chased after the creature.

When Ruby finally caught up with the Fuzzy, it was no longer carrying her scythe. Instead, it simply stuck its tongue out at her.

"What did you do with my weapon?"

"Meeeeeeeeork! Find it if you can!" The Fuzzy bounced away.

Ruby ran to the bushes and desparately searching them for her scythe. "Where is it, where is it?"

Suddenly, a shadow began to loom over her. She turned around - and paled.

An entire swarm of Fuzzies was there, bouncing and _meeork_ ing and leaping straight for her face.

Ruby held up her arms in front of her face…

… and before she could be swarmed, she saw a flash of yellow and was shoved to the ground.

Ruby pushed herself up and faced where the Fuzzies were. They had now taken on a humanoid form - or, had they covered someone else? The second option seemed more likely, seeing how the figure was tearing Fuzzies off itself and tossing them to the ground as hard as they could, embedding the creatures in the ground.

Suddenly, the form caught fire. All the creatures that had still been attached leapt off, screeching in pain - and revealing a face familiar to Ruby.

"Yang?"

Yang, still burning, glared at the remaining Fuzzies. "Who else wants a piece of me?" Everything was deathly still for a brief moment. All the creatures dropped whatever they were carrying.

"RUN FOR IT!" screamed a single Fuzzy near the back of the swarm.

All of a sudden, every single Fuzzy in the village began screaming their lungs out. They all bolted for a nearby house, knocking down the door. They emerged in the house's backyard, still screaming, and disappeared into the woods beyond.

Ruby took a look at her sister, whose hair had stopped burning by now, and immediately bolted over to her. "YANG!" She immediately gripped her into a tight embrace. "Yang, I missed you so much! Where were you?"

Goombario ran up to the two, Mario tagging behind him. "Are you okay?" asked the plumber. "We heard screaming."

Ruby hugged her sister even tighter. "I'm just fine. Just fine."

Yang raised a finger. "Could someone fill me in on exactly what those things were?"

Ruby let go of her. "Oh, yeah. Sure."

* * *

The next several hours were mostly spent talking. Ruby had gone over everything she knew about how they had arrived in the Kingdom, introduced her sister to the rest of the party, and talked about the differences between the Mushroom Kingdom and Remnant. There was a brief when Ruby remembered her weapon was still missing - now that there was no threat of Fuzzy attack, it was fairly easy to find.

"So, any questions?"

"Just one. When you're fighting Goombas…"

"Yeah?"

"... should you give them _mushroom_ to maneuver?"

Ruby and Mario facepalmed.

"That was terrible," said Goombario.

The now-four were interrupted by a voice - coming straight from the house the Fuzzies had charged through.

"Um… could I ask for a little help here?"

* * *

MAN that chapter was hard to write. Nonetheless, here's to 1000 more view! Please fave, follow, and review!


	11. Chapter Ten: The Happy-go-Lucky Duo!

Hey, guys. Wookywok here. This chapter, I'm trying something a bit different - the turn of events here (at least beyond 'Kooper joins the party') is, for the most part, completely different than it is in the main game. Please read, and please leave a review telling me what you think.

 **Disclaimer:** This chapter contains heavy divergence from the main plot of Paper Mario. Don't say I didn't warn you. Because I did. Twice.

* * *

The voice that had caught everyone's attention was fairly squeaky, though not high-pitched - Ruby could almost liken it to the sound of something sliding down a pane of glass. All four members of the party turned to face the source.

Everybody turned to face the source of the voice. A blue-shelled Koopa was standing there where the door used to be. "Somebody? A little help?"

Mario stepped up to the entrance, followed by the others. "What can we help you with?"

The turtle's eyes widened. "Wait… aren't you… you are! You're Mario!" He stuck out a clawed hand and grinned. "I'm Kooper. Oh man, I'm so psyched to meet you! Us meeting here has got to be fate or something."

Mario returned the handshake. "Glad to meet you too. So, you said you needed help?"

Kooper fidgeted with his red wristband. "Yeah. I have a huge favor to ask you. You know how all those Fuzzies made their grand escape straight through my house here?"

Everybody nodded. Yang looked in behind the turtle - furniture was tipped, various decoration pieces lay on the ground shattered, crooked frames dangled precariously from the walls. "Yeah. Looks like they left a bit of a mess, too." She scratched the back of her head.

"Yeah, but that can be cleaned. I've got more important problems. You see, when the hordes came crashing through here, one of those jerks decided it would be funny to steal my journal - which, next to my shell and my life, is the most important thing I own."

"What was in this journal?," asked Goombario.

"Only all the records of all the adventures I've ever been on! All those memories, all those records - all taken straight from me! That book means the world to me!" The turtle dropped to his knees and clasped his hands together. "Please, I'm begging you: get my journal back!"

Ruby stepped to the front of the group and gave a mock salute. "Don't you worry, Kooper! I, Ruby Rose, will see to it that we get you back your book!"

The Koopa leapt to his feet and cheered. "Yes! Oh, thank you thank you thank you! Follow me, I can show you which way they went."

* * *

After about ten minutes of running, the five arrived in the middle of a forest clearing. Kooper skidded to a halt, the other four following in suit. "Well, here's about where I gave up chasing them," said the Koopa. "With any luck, maybe the Fuzzy who took my journal is still here."

"MEEEEEEEORK!" Sure enough, from the bushes jumped a group of small black balls of fur - and the one at the head was carrying a blue binder. "Hey, you! Turtle Face!," he cried. "You want this?"

Kooper clenched his fist. "Yes! Yes I do!"

"Well TOO BAD! It's ours now! Meeeork!"

"No, it's not! It's mine!"

"No, it's ours!"

"Mine!"

"Ours!"

"Mine!"

"Ours!"

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone turned to face the new voice. Out of the bushes bounced the biggest Fuzzy Ruby had seen thus far - granted, he was still only about Ruby's height, but that was pretty big for a Fuzzy.

The smaller Fuzzies jumped and took a bow. "MEEORK! Grand Poobah! What're ya doing here?"

The larger ball of fuzz glowered at the smaller ones. "What _wouldn't_ I be doin' here, with all you makin' such a racket! Meeeork!" He looked at Mario and his crew. "What seems to be troublin' ya, folks?"

Kooper pointed at the Fuzzies carrying the binder. "They took my journal!"

"Your journal? YOUR journal?" The Poobah suddenly burst into uproarious, _meeork_ ing laughter. "Kid, you don't know! Anything we take, it's ours! That fancy book is now the personal property of ME, the Fuzzy Poobah!"

The Koopa was practically in tears by now. He got down on his knees. "But, but, I've had that journal since I was little! Come on, please, you've gotta give it back!"

The big Fuzzy's expression changed from smug to annoyed. "Gee, you're persistent." Slowly, he looked at the binder, then at the pleading Kooper. "Tell ya what. I'll give it back to you…"

Kooper's eyes lit up.

"... IF one'a you guys can beat me in a duel."

Yang took a battle stance. "Sure, we'll take you on!"

The Poobah nodded. "Okay. You've got ten minutes to pick who ya want ta lose to me. Let me know when you've made your choice.."

Mario turned toward his traveling companions. "Well, anybody want to volunteer?"

Ruby stepped forward and unfolded Crescent Rose. "I'll do it."

Kooper dashed over to Ruby and hugged her. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you so much, Ruby! You have no idea how much this means to me."

Mario quirked an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Mario nodded slowly. "Alright, then." He turned to the Poobah. "We've made our choice."

"Meeork? Already? Alrighty then. FUZZIES! WE GOT A FIGHT OVER HERE!"

Almost immediately, what very well may have been every single Fuzzy in the woods crowded around the clearing.

"Now, send yer guy forward."

Mario, Goombario, Yang, and Kooper stepped back, amassing themselves into the crowd. Ruby and the Poobah took battle stances.

Ruby and the Poobah charged at each other; the Poobah jumped over her head.

She stopped herself and pivoted, using the momentum to swing her scythe harder. It was a direct hit; he was sent soaring to the other side of the clearing.

The Poobah got up, launching himself into a full-body tackle, knocking Ruby backwards.

Ruby placed a hand on the ground to steady herself. She got up and dashed towards the Fuzzy, swinging Crescent Rose at him.

The Poobah rolled out of the way. "Hey!," he cried. "Look behind ya!"

Ruby gave him a silver-eyed glare. "I'm not falling for that one agai-" Suddenly, she saw yellowish-brown dirt race up straight to her face.

She turned her head, seeing a flash of black and red disappearing into the crowd. She felt the ground around her - Crescent Rose had been taken again. "Aw, shame. You really should've."

Ruby got up and dusted herself off. She pointed at the Poobah. "Hey! That's cheating!"

The big Fuzzy laughed. "It ain't cheatin' unless ya lose! And there's no way I can lose now! MEEEEORK!" He took a flying leap at Ruby.

Ruby sidestepped her opponent and ran to the other side of the arena.

The Poobah bounced into the sky after her, landing right in front of her. He gave an evil grin. "Not so brave without yer fancy little gardening tool, huh?"

"I'm plenty brave," Ruby replied. "Just… not really able to fight back here."

"Exactly. Tell ya what: how about ya give up right now?" A Fuzzy bounced up alongside the Poobah, carrying Ruby's weapon. "We get to keep the book and the fancy scythe-thingy, and you get to keep yer life." He bounced up to Ruby, staring her right in the face. "How's that sound?"

Ruby clenched her fist. "Never! I'm not giving up!"

The Poobah bounced backwards. "Alright, fine. Do it your way."

All of the Fuzzies began to close in around the two. "Don't count on makin' it out alive, though. Meeeork!"

The Fuzzy horde bounced closer and closer, and the area Ruby had was getting smaller and smaller…

...when all of a sudden, a flash of blue smacked straight into the Fuzzy holding Crescent Rose, knocking it out and making it drop its prize.

The blue skidded to a halt and emerged from its shell. "I'm here for you, Ruby!" He grabbed Crescent Rose and tossed it to her.

"Kooper? What are you doing here?"

"Well," said Kooper. "I asked for your help because I was afraid to take on these guys myself. But seeing how you were willing to challenge their leader, even while you were pretty much helpless - I realized that I have to take a stand! What kind of a Koopa am I if I can't even get my own stuff back from Fuzzies? So what if I'm scared? Bring it on!"

"Yes, yes. Very heartwarming," said the Poobah, "but I think ya mighta been better off had ya just stayed in yer little hidey-hole!"

Kooper took a look at the Fuzzy… and ducked inside his shell.

"Yeah, that's right! Ya don't stand a CHANCE against me! Go back to yer little home and hide! Meeeork!"

A muffled voice came from inside the shell. "Now, Ruby! Launch me at him!"

The Huntress-in-Training quirked an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

"Alright, if you say so." She swung her scythe at the shell as hard as she could, sending it sliding across the ground at high speeds straight at the big Fuzzy.

Kooper bounced off the Poobah, who yelped in pain.

The shell turned around back at him.

The Fuzzy jumped out of the way. The shell merely stopped.

The Poobah began laughing uproariously - until he noticed the shell beginning to spin rapidly in place.

Suddenly, the shell launched forward, straight into the Fuzzy Poobah's skull.

The Fuzzy Poobah fell to the ground, dazed. "Meeeeeeeeeeorkonoooo! No fair… ya cheated…" He passed out.

Kooper popped out of his shell and smirked. "We couldn't have - we won."

Mario, Yang, and Goombario ran up to where Ruby and Kooper were standing. "Go Kooper!," exclaimed Goombario.

Ruby gave the Koopa a high five. "Thanks. If it weren't for you, I'd probably… well, I don't know what they would've done to me, but you get my point."

"Aw, shucks…" Kooper scratched the back of his neck. "Thank you, too. Without _you,_ I…" He paused. "I still haven't gotten my journal back, have I?"

"Oh, let me fix that," said Yang. She turned towards the crowd of Fuzzies. "Hey, you creeps," she roared, "how about you give that journal back before I do to all of you what that guy just did to your leader!"

The crowd parted, and a single Fuzzy stepped out into the clearing, carrying a blue binder. He placed it down onto the ground as gently as he could.

Kooper ran up to the journal and picked it up. "YES!" He pressed the item to his chest. "Oh, journal, I missed you so much! Thank you thank you thank you!"

The Fuzzy slowly bounced backwards… before darting back into the deep woods, the rest of his brethren following suit.

"Well," said Mario, stepping up to Kooper, "good to hear you're happy."

"Oh, you have no idea just how happy I am! I'm in your debt!" He suddenly stopped. "Hey… I have an idea." He turned to Ruby. "Would you happen to know Professor Kolorado?"

Ruby shook her head.

"He's a Koopa who lives around here," said Goombario. "He's a professor of archaeology - and a bit of an explorer."

The Koopa pointed at the Goomba. "That's the one! Well, you see, I happen to live right next door to him. I've been admiring that guy ever since I was in my egg!" He placed his journal inside his shell. "Nothing would make me happier than following in his footsteps. Traveling the world, solving mysteries… it's a dream come true!"

He fidgeted with his wristband. "So… do you think… maybe… could I…" He dropped to his knees. "Please, take me with you!"

Ruby raised her arms to the sky. "Of course we can!" She turned towards her party members. "Right?"

Yang folded her arms and nodded. "I don't see why not."

"The more, the merrier," said Mario.

Kooper jumped to his feet and cheered. "YES! YES! Oh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" He placed a hand to his chest. "I swear on my honor that I, Kooper, will follow you to the ends of the earth!"

"Yeah! Come on, now, we gotta get back to the village to stock up on items," said Goombario.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Kooper ran off toward the direction of his house, followed closely by Ruby. Mario simply chuckled as he and the others followed after them.

* * *

As always, please fave, follow, and review!


	12. Chapter 11: Storming the Fortress

**Disclaimer:** This is the boring dungeon-crawly chapter. I've cut out some bits that can be cut out, but it's still pretty long and dungeon-crawly. Really sorry to make _this_ the chapter you wait for.

* * *

Ruby slowly but methodically observed the products on offer. "Let's see… tents, sleeping bags, lanterns… ah-ha! Here they are - adventuring and combat supplies." She turned to the plumber beside her. "Mario, could you help me pick out what to get here? You're the expert."

"Sure." The man in red turned his focus to the shelves. "Well, we'll definitely want some of these," he said, picking a few Mushrooms off the shelves and placing them in the shopping cart. He turned his attention to several bottles filled with golden liquid and nabbed a few. "And we'll want some of these, too."

"What even is that?" asked Yang.

"Honey Syrup," answered Goombario. "Not so good at actual healing, but one sip will fill you with energy. Great if you use a lot of high-energy moves in battle."

"And I'd argue that includes us," said Mario.

"Hey, guys," said Kooper. "Do you think we should take some of these, too?" In his arms he held several small red flowers, as well as one or two orange blocks, labeled with the word POW in rainbow lettering.

"I'd say yes," said Ruby, "if I knew what they were."

Kooper grew a confused look, which quickly turned to understanding. "Right, the whole 'visitor from another world' thing." He set his items on the floor, before lifting up one of the flowers. "This is a Fire Flower," he said. "Eat it, and you'll be able to throw fire for a short time." He set the flower down and picked up the block. "And this is a POW block. One hit of this thing'll make the earth shake - but it's useless against airborne enemies."

Mario shrugged. "Heh, why not? Never know when we'll need them. Put them in the cart."

Kooper did so, and the five looked over their haul. "Anything else we need before we head to the cashier?," asked Yang.

Goombario stared at the large amounts of groceries and tilted his head. "A really big backpack?"

* * *

After paying for their supplies and resting up at the Toad House, the quintet had said their goodbyes to Koopa Village and headed back out on the trail to the Koopa Bros. Fortress. The walk had been relatively peaceful - other than the typical enemy smashing and, for some reason, Goombario being very quick to steer the group around a particular patch of fallen leaves. Ruby began to let her thoughts wander. What other places were there in the Mushroom Kingdom? Were her other friends there? Had they all found friendly towns to stay in until they could be found? Or were they all lost in the wilderness? It wasn't like Ruby to worry like this, but it also wasn't like her to be wandering around in a place she had next to no id Had Bowser's minions already found them? Did Bowser know the significance of their presence? What if -

She was forcibly yanked out of her thoughts when a sharp tug came from her cape, pulling her backwards. "Watch out, Ruby! You nearly fell into that brook!"

"Huh?" Ruby snapped back to reality to find she was, in fact, standing on a fairly sheer, if not tall, drop leading straight into a creek. "Oh, I guess I was. Thanks, Kooper."

"No problem."

"Yes, problem," said Mario, gesturing at the fairly large stream. "There's no way across."

Goombario noticed a nearby sign. "No entry allowed, Mario. Sincerely, the Koopa Bros.," he read aloud. He turned to the group and sighed. "Well, you gotta hand it to them," he said, "these guys know their roadblocks."

Yang took a look over at the other side of the stream and readjusted her new backpack. "Well, there's a switch over there," she said, pointing, "maybe if we hit that, something'll happen?"

"It's a good idea, sis," said Ruby, "but there's no way to press it from here."

Kooper put a clawed hand to his chin. "Hmm… actually, there might be."

Everyone in the group turned towards him. "What?"

"Well, if I'm right…" he wetted his finger with his tongue and raised it to the sky. "Wind speed's not an issue… distance seems close enough…" his eyes lit up. "I think that maybe, if somebody hits me across that brook, I should be able to hit that switch."

Ruby grew a thoughtful look. "You know, I think this just might work."

* * *

"You ready, Kooper?"

"Born ready!"

"Alright, then!" Ruby and Kooper stood at the very edge of the creek. The girl was wielding Crescent Rose; the Koopa was tucked safe into his shell. "On the count of three! One!"

Ruby swung back her scythe like a golf club.

"Two!"

Kooper's eyes narrowed, focused on his target.

"Three!"

Ruby swung her weapon at the shell as fast as she could, sending it flying over the gap. Kooper struck the switch dead-on, pressing it, and he bounced back so hard that he soared all the way back over the stream, skidding to a halt in front of Ruby's feet.

He popped back out of his shell. "Well," he said, "I hit the switch. Do you think it did anyth-"

All of a sudden, the ground began to shake. Out of the stream rose a bridge, covering the entirety of the gap between the two sides.

"I guess it did."

"Great!," said Mario. "Now that we can get across, whaddya say we all go storm a fortress?"

"Let's," said Goombario, and the five crossed the bridge together.

* * *

The path to the Koopa Bros. Fortress was quite pretty, albeit still foreboding. The massive fortress in the distance, the mossy stone arches - it was truly a beautiful sight.

Ruby would have put more effort into admiring the scenery if she didn't have to deal with all the enemies she'd already dealt with a hundred times. The only one that was even close to counting as new were the Paratroopas - Koopa Troopas with wings. Other than that, it was still mostly just Koopa Troopas and _even more Goombas_.

Eventually, though, the party finished fighting their way through the multitudes, and found themselves at the front door to the fortress. They had just stepped up onto the metal walkway bridging across the wide moat when suddenly, the door opened.

A Koopa Troopa with a black shell and eyemask peered out the door… and blanched. "What the… Mario? Oh, we're in a world of hurt. I gotta tell the leader." He ran off, yelling. "Red Koooooooopaaaaaaa!" The door slammed behind him.

"So, is he one of the Koopa Bros. you guys were telling me about?," asked Yang.

"Yep," said Mario.

Kooper quirked an eyebrow. "You know, for a group of supposedly elite minions, they really don't seem all that threatening."

"Agreed," said Mario. "All in favor of going in and trashing them?"

Four hands and a foot raised to the sky. "Aye!"

"I figured. Let's go." The plumber pushed on the front door, which slowly opened.

* * *

The Koopa Bros. Fortress was a stark contrast to all the other places the bad guys had set up camp. As opposed to the bright greens and blues of Goomba Road and Pleasant Path, the fortress was a dark grey, through and through, broken up only by the greyish-blue of the pool…

… and the faded red of the Koopa Troopa staring them down.

"Hey, you! You aren't allowed in here!"

Yang stared back. "Oh, yeah? And what are you gonna do about it, huh?"

The Koopa Troopa growled. "I'll tell ya what! COME ON IN, BOYS!"

Suddenly, a small hatch in the wall opened, and two of what Ruby could only describe as cartoonish bombs on feet made an entrance. Their white eyes - that was the only thing on their faces - were narrowed in anger, and the wind-up keys on their backs produced a constant clockwork _whirr_ ing.

"Bob-ombs!" said Goombario. "Be careful, everyone. One hit, and they light their fuse. After that, don't touch them - down that route lies only explodey pain."

"Got it!," said Ruby. She dashed at the Koopa Troopa, knocking it over onto its back. "But first, let's get this guy out of here!" She slashed at the turtle, sending it sliding across the ground…

… and crashing into the two Bob-ombs, who turned red and began charging straight at her.

Ruby's eyes bugged out, and she began swinging Crescent Rose wildly. She ended up bashing the two bombs with the scythe's blunt end - that apparently was enough, as the bombs were knocked back, exploding harmlessly.

Upon seeing that the enemies had not, in fact, blown up in her face, Ruby gave a deep sigh of relief. "Well, then… how about we be more careful with the bomb guys, huh?"

"No kidding," said Kooper. "But look!" He held up a small silver key. "I found this!" He ran up to the locked door on the other side of the room, sticking the key into the lock. The lock opened and fell off the door.

The next room only contained several Bob-ombs - a few quick swings of the hammer turned out to be pretty good at tricking them into exploding. The five came up to another door and opened it.

The quintet entered the room, only to be greeted by another Koopa in an eyemask - almost identical to the first, but with the black accents traded for a bright green. He, too, took one look at the party and paled. "YAAH! Mario!," he yelled.

The green turtle began twiddling his thumbs wildly. "Don't you, uh… don't try…" He dramatically pointed at the plumber. "You'll still never find your way through here!" He pturned his finger to face the cage right next to the door - containing nothing but a key. "See that? That's the only way to the top! And you can't get in there!" He darted off into the distance, laughing.

"Okay, that could be an issue," said Mario.

"Hmm… how much you willing to bet that we'll find something around here that lets us get that?," mused Goombario.

The man in red sighed. "That's how it usually works, isn't it? Alright, everybody, follow me."

* * *

The next room contained nothing but an unlocked door, a set of stairs leading to the upper floor - and about a dozen Bob-ombs lying in wait.

Kooper paled. "Mario, any ideas?"

"Just one. Yang?"

The girl in question tightened her grip on her backpack. "Yeah?"

"Could I have a Fire Flower?"

A look of comprehension dawned over everybody's face. "Sure," said Yang, pulling a red flower out of the sack. "Here you go." She tossed the plant to Mario.

"Thank you." He took a bite from the flower - and suddenly, his red clothes changed to brilliant white, and his blue overalls became burning red. "Say hello to Fire Mario," he said.

The plumber held out his hand, and a burning orb manifested itself in his outstretched palm. He took hold of the flame, and swung his hand back. He pitched the fireball like any person would do a regular ball, and it struck one of the Bob-ombs dead on, detonating it immediately.

He proceeded to repeat this process with the rest of the bombs. Some of the faster or luckier ones would dodge, only for the fire to bounce off the wall and strike them anyway. Eventually, the room was completely cleared of Bob-ombs.

"That takes care of that," said Mario as his clothes turned back to their normal red and blue. "Now, we need to figure out which way to go."

Before anyone could suggest anything, there was a resonant _THUD_. A switch had landed on the ground beside the group.

"Well, we could start by hitting that," offered Yang.

Ruby did so, and all of a sudden the chains holding up the stairs began to lower, blocking off the upper floor and granting access to the lower one. "Guess we go down, then."

"But what about the door?," asked Goombario.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that."

The group entered the door, choosing to forgo the stairs for now. They were greeted by a spiral pathway leading to the top of the tower. "Let's go up!," said Kooper.

They did so, and found nothing but a platform hanging over a large gap, sporting nothing but a single ? Block.

"That's it?," asked Yang, as the group stood there. "Whatever. I'm not leaving here without getting something from this." She stepped underneath the block.

Goombario's eyes grew wide. "Wait Yang don't-"

It was too late. The elder sister had already struck the block. "What? What's wrong?"

The Goomba's eyes narrowed. "Don't… look… down."

Yang did the mistake of doing just that. "The floor just dropped out from under us, didn't it."

Kooper followed suit. "Oh. It did."

Ruby put a hand to her chin. "Huh. DejAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…"

* * *

As always, please fave, follow, and review!


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